Volunteer Voices: A Moment with Fabian Klein-Hessling
My name is Fabian. I am 23 years old and I am from Germany. Currently, I am completing a four month internship at Habitat for Humanity. I graduated last year from Phillips University of Marburg with my Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. In October I plan to return to Germany and pursue my Master’s Degree. When I am not working or at school I enjoy spending my free time playing football, meeting new friends, and traveling to new countries.
During my studies I worked as an assistant for a partially blind student, supporting her with reading and understanding exams. The job was very rewarding and I realized that I wanted to continue helping people in need. I knew my time at Habitat for Humanity would allow me to help the community and explore the United States.
During my time in the United States I will work as the Fund Development Intern for Habitat for Humanity. The main focus of my position is to support the Fund Development Department in building new relationships, securing new donors, and increasing our reach for grant writing.
While here I am most interested in finding new financial sponsors for our organization, which will allow us to better achieve our mission of building homes, communities, and hope. The most challenging part of the internship will be to convince potential sponsors to support our mission.
This position fits perfectly with my career path and allows me the opportunity to gain hands on experience in my field, prior to attending school for my Master’s in Business Development. As an added bonus, I will be able to understand the inner workings of a non-profit and assist in providing an important service to the local community. It is a pleasure to assist the organization in reaching their goals.
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Fabian is a volunteer through our Interns Abroad program – an immersive style of internship, where the student lives and works at the Habitat campus. Interns Abroad offers students and young adults from around the world the opportunity to partner with our local Habitat office through various types of internships, supporting both business and construction efforts. While here Interns will have a chance to expand their professional experiences while giving back to the community and making a difference in the lives of Habitat homeowners. Each position is uniquely crafted based on the need within the organization and the skill set of the intern abroad, and the duration for each internship varies from 1 to 5 months based on mutual agreement. Interns may be eligible for school credits based on the approval of the University. To learn more about it feel free to contact us at carlos@habitatls.org.